1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cooling apparatus for supplying a coherent curtain of cooling liquid, which is usually water, to a metal workpiece such as strip or plate. By the term "coherent" is meant continuous, that is, without breaks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the specification of our U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,288, there is described and claimed apparatus for producing a coherent curtain of liquid coolant. An advantage of the apparatus described and claimed in that application is that the coherent curtain can be in excess of seven feet in height.
The apparatus described in this U.S. patent specification produces a coherent curtain of a nonadjustable width and, so long as the curtain is used to cool hot metal workpieces of substantially the same width, then the apparatus is completely satisfactory. In modern steelworks, however, it is desirable that workpieces of different widths should be rolled by the same rolling apparatus and, consequently, if the cooling apparatus is made sufficiently wide to accommodate the widest workpiece that can be rolled then, for many of the workpieces that are rolled, the curtain is too wide and cooling liquid is wasted at the ends of the workpiece. It would be desirable therefore for cooling apparatus to be provided which can produce a variable width curtain.